Forest health specialists converged in San Juan County last week to investigate dying juniper trees on Alkali Ridge and Cedar Mesa. Reports of dying as well as "browning" junipers have alarmed residents throughout the Four Corners region. Last week, the team found drought stressed trees susceptible to secondary pests. Public lands agencies plan to continue working together on this issue, as specialists study the recently collected data.

[photo: A forest health protection specialist shows collections of wood boring insects. These are typically secondary pests, meaning they attack already weakened or stressed trees. Courtesy of the BLM]